Offender Record · OFF-2026-074
Gerald Gallego (photo from the Radford University biography)
Gerald Armond Gallego
Also known as Stephen Robert Feil, Stephen Feil
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'7"
Born
1946
Custody
Deceased
States
NV, NE, CA
Distinguishing featuresBirthmark on face (document)
Custody
Transferred to Regional Medical Center in March 2002 due to advanced cancer; died July 18, 2002 (wikipedia, nnbw.com)
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Gerald Armond Gallego was convicted of four murders—two in California and two in Nevada—and received death sentences in both states between 1983 and 1984. Working with his wife Charlene Williams, Gallego kidnapped, raped, and murdered at least ten victims across California, Nevada, and Oregon between September 1978 and November 1980. He died of colon cancer on death row in Nevada on July 18, 2002, at age 56.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Apr 1980, Limerick Canyon, Nevada
First-degree murder
Pershing County District Court, Nevada · Pershing County District Court · Arrested Nov 17, 1980 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death
Two females, both age 17, abducted from Sacramento shopping center in April 1980 after being lured with marijuana offer. Taken to Nevada; bound with rope, sexually assaulted for hours, then bludgeoned to death with hammer and shovel in Limerick Canyon. Bodies buried in shallow graves and found three months later (upi-1984, nv-supreme-court-1985).
SourcesSex-slayer son of executed murderer is sentenced to death; Gallego v. State; Gerald and Charlene Gallego
Offense date Apr 1980, Sacramento, California
First-degree kidnapping
Pershing County District Court, Nevada · Pershing County District Court · Arrested Nov 17, 1980 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment without possibility of parole (two consecutive sentences)
Two 17-year-old females forcibly abducted at gunpoint from Sacramento shopping center and transported across state lines to Nevada in April 1980 (upi-1984).
SourcesSex-slayer son of executed murderer is sentenced to death; Gallego v. State
Offense date Nov 1980, Sacramento, California
First-degree murder with special circumstances
Contra Costa County Superior Court, California · Contra Costa County Superior Court · Arrested Nov 17, 1980 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death
Gallego and accomplice Charlene Williams abducted a 22-year-old male and 21-year-old female from a Sacramento shopping mall parking lot on November 2, 1980. Gallego shot the male victim three times in the head in Eldorado County. The female victim was taken to Gallego's apartment and sexually assaulted, then shot three times near Sierra College in Placer County. A witness recorded the vehicle license plate and called police (murderpedia, upi-1983).
SourcesMurder conviction in sex fantasy case; Gerald and Charlene Gallego; Gerald Gallego
Offense date Nov 1980, Sacramento, California
First-degree kidnapping with substantial bodily harm
Contra Costa County Superior Court, California · Contra Costa County Superior Court · Arrested Nov 17, 1980 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment
Two adults forcibly confined and abducted at gunpoint from Sacramento shopping mall on November 2, 1980 (upi-1983, nv-supreme-court-1985).
SourcesMurder conviction in sex fantasy case; Gallego v. State
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
4
Victims convicted
10
Victims confessed
0
Victims suspected
Active years
1978–1980
Victim profile
Young women, Teenagers, Men, Couples, Strangers
Stated motive
Sexual, Power or control
Range from home
interstate
Accomplice
Yes
Marital history
Married
Children
1
Died
2002-07-18 · natural
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
CA
Sacramento, California
approx. 1946 – 1978 · Born in Hawthorne District of Sacramento
Sacramento, California
approx. 1978 – 1980 · Bartender at bar in Sacramento area
California
approx. 1978 – 1980 · Interstate 80 corridor between California and Nevada, with offenses in Sacramento area, Pershing County Nevada, and other locations
California
approx. Jun 21, 1983 – Jun 1984 · San Quentin State Prison, Death Row - held pending extradition to Nevada after California conviction
NE
Omaha, Nebraska
Nov 1980 – Nov 17, 1980 · Arrested at Western Union office on November 17, 1980
Omaha, Nebraska
Nov 17, 1980 – Nov 17, 1980 · Arrested by police after license plate identified by witness to abduction; Charlene's parents were wiring them money
NV
Nevada
approx. 1978 – 1980 · Traveled to Limerick Canyon, Humboldt Sink, and other remote areas
Reno, Nevada
approx. Sep 1978 – Oct 1978 · Married Charlene Williams in Reno on September 30, 1978
Lovelock, Nevada
approx. Jun 25, 1984 – 1997 · Pershing County custody for Nevada trial; Nevada State Prison Carson City per inmate number 19735
Ely, Nevada
approx. 1997 – Mar 2002 · Ely State Prison - Death Row, Nevada; after 1997 appeal ordered resentencing
Reno, Nevada
Mar 2002 – Jul 18, 2002 · Renown Regional Medical Center, Nevada Prison Medical Facility - transferred due to advanced cancer; died July 18, 2002
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1980 blue Oldsmobile Cutlass – Blue Oldsmobile Cutlass used to transport victims in November 1980 abduction
approx. 1980 – Nov 1980
Vehicle identified by witness in November 1980 at mall parking lot abduction (murderpedia, document)
1980 van – Van used to transport victims; multiple murders committed in back of van during 1978-1980 period
approx. 1978 – Nov 1980
Used to lure victims with Charlene Williams; multiple sexual assaults occurred in vehicle during crimes (wikipedia, murderpedia)
Timeline
Jul 17, 1946
Gerald Armond Gallego born in Sacramento, California (wikipedia)
Sep 1978
Gerald assumes alias Stephen Feil to evade rape/incest charges filed in Butte County (wikipedia)
Sep 11, 1978
First victims Rhonda Scheffler (age 17) and Kippi Vaught (age 16) abducted, raped, and killed in California (wikipedia)
Sep 30, 1978
Gerald marries Charlene Williams in Reno, Nevada; marriage later found to be invalid because Gerald never divorced second wife (wikipedia, document)
Oct 1978
Daughter Sally Jo (age 14) reports Gerald for ongoing molestation since age 6 (document)
Jun 24, 1979
Victims Brenda Judd (age 14) and Sandra Colley (age 13) abducted and killed in Nevada with hammer and shovel (wikipedia, murderpedia)
Apr 24, 1980
Victims Stacey Ann Redican (age 17) and Karen Twiggs (age 17) abducted from Sacramento shopping center and killed with hammer in Limerick Canyon, Nevada (wikipedia)
Jun 07, 1980
Victim Linda Aguilar (age 21, pregnant) abducted, raped, and killed in Mojave Desert (wikipedia, murderpedia)
Jul 16, 1980
Victim Virginia Mochel (age 34) abducted, raped, and strangled (wikipedia)
Nov 02, 1980
Victims Craig Miller (age 22) and Mary Beth Sowers (age 21) abducted at gunpoint from Sacramento shopping mall, sexually assaulted, and shot to death (wikipedia, murderpedia)
Nov 17, 1980
Gerald Gallego and Charlene Williams arrested in Omaha, Nebraska at Western Union office; identified by license plate from witness to November 2 abduction (document, wikipedia)
Nov 1982
Gerald Gallego's trial begins in Contra Costa County Superior Court, Martinez, California for murders of Craig Miller and Mary Beth Sowers; Gallego represents himself (upi-1983)
Apr 09, 1983
Jury finds Gerald Gallego guilty of kidnapping and murder of Craig Miller and Mary Beth Sowers in Contra Costa County Superior Court (upi-1983)
Jun 21, 1983
Gerald Gallego sentenced to death in California for murders of Craig Miller and Mary Beth Sowers (wikipedia, murderpedia)
May 21, 1984
Gerald Gallego trial begins in Pershing County, Nevada for murders of Stacey Redican and Karen Twiggs (upi-1984)
Jun 08, 1984
Jury finds Gerald Gallego guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree kidnapping in Nevada; deliberation less than four hours (nv-supreme-court-1985)
Jun 25, 1984
Gerald Gallego sentenced to death in Nevada for murders of Stacey Redican and Karen Twiggs; also receives two consecutive life sentences without parole for kidnappings (upi-1984)
1997
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturns Gallego's Nevada death sentence due to improper jury instructions regarding possibility of parole; orders new penalty hearing (wikipedia)
May 1999
Competency hearing held May 10-12, 1999 to determine if Gallego can face retrial; district court finds him competent despite psychiatric testimony of brain damage and PTSD (lasvegassun-1999)
Sep 1999
New penalty hearing held in September 1999 in Nevada; Gallego stands and apologizes for pain caused; jury sentences him to death again after approximately one hour deliberation (lasvegassun-1999)
Mar 2002
Gallego transferred from Ely State Prison Death Row to Regional Medical Center in Reno due to advanced colon cancer (nnbw, sfgate)
Jul 18, 2002
Gerald Armond Gallego dies of colon cancer in prison medical facility at age 56, one day after his 56th birthday (wikipedia, nnbw)
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Murderpedia ·
Gerald Gallego“On June 21, 1983, Gerald Gallego was sentenced to death for the murders of Craig Miller and Mary Beth Sowers. Following the California trial, Gerald was charged in Nevada with the murders of Stacy Redican, Karen Twiggs, Brenda Judd and Sandra Colley.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Gerald and Charlene Gallego“Gerald Armond Gallego (July 17, 1946 – July 18, 2002) and Charlene Adell Gallego...were American serial killers who abducted, raped, tortured, and murdered at least ten people between 1978 and 1980.”
Other government record · Wikipedia ·
Nevada State Prison“Inmate: Gerald Gallego. Number: 19735. Status: Transferred to Ely State Prison.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Gallego, Gerald“Gerald Armond Gallego is born 07/17/1949...on 6/21/1983 Gerald is sentenced to death in a California courtroom for the murders of Mary Beth Sowers and Craig Miller”
News report · Nevada Business and News ·
Gallego dies in prison medical center“Gerald Gallego, the so-called 'fantasy sex slave' serial killer who has been on Nevada's death row 18 years, died Thursday night in the prison's Regional Medical Center. Gallego was moved to the center in March because of the advanced condition of his cancer.”
News report · SFGATE ·
'Sex-slave' killer dies of cancer in Nevada prison hospital“Gerald Gallego, the 'sex-slave' killer who, with his wife, cut a lethal swath through California and Nevada more than 20 years ago, died of cancer in a Nevada prison hospital Thursday night, cheating the state out of executing him.”
Court record · Supreme Court of Nevada ·
Gallego v. State“Appellant Gerald Armond Gallego murdered two teenage girls in Pershing County in 1980. He was convicted and sentenced to death. In 1997, a federal court ordered that Gallego be resentenced. He received a new penalty hearing and was again sentenced to death.”
News report · Las Vegas Sun ·
Serial killer sentenced to death in retrial“Gallego, who stood up and apologized for the pain he had caused, accepted the verdict calmly...Jurors took about an hour Thursday to reach their verdict.”
Court record · Supreme Court of Nevada ·
Gallego v. State“The jury found Gallego guilty of two counts of murder in the first degree and two counts of kidnapping in the first degree with substantial bodily harm. Gallego was sentenced to death for Stacey and Karen's murder and received two consecutive sentences of life without the possibility of parole for the kidnapping counts.”
News report · United Press International ·
Sex-slayer son of executed murderer is sentenced to death“The Nevada jury also ordered Gallego to serve two life terms in prison for kidnapping Stacey Redican and Karen Chipman Twiggs, both 17, from a Sacramento shopping mall in April 1980. District Judge Llewellyn Young set formal sentencing for June 25.”
News report · United Press International ·
Murder conviction in sex fantasy case“A jury Monday found Gerald Gallego, 36, guilty of the kidnap and murder of a young man and his girlfriend...She testified that her husband kidnapped Greg Miller, 22, and Mary Beth Sowers, 21, near a fraternity dance Nov. 2, 1980.”
Discussion
Casual discussion about this record on the community forum. The facts live on this page: to add a place, a vehicle or a source, use the Edit record button under the photo so a moderator can review it. Please name no one else, never name a victim, and do not connect the person to any case not listed here.Open the topic on the forum
Corrections and removal. If a charge on this page has been dismissed, acquitted, overturned, pardoned or expunged, or any fact is wrong, tell us through the correction form. Corrections are free, reviewed within five business days, and a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed. Information here may not be used for decisions about employment, housing, credit, insurance or any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and never to harass, threaten or harm anyone. Where a source is an offender registry, that information is reproduced as of the date shown and is subject to the conditions of use of that registry.